


The Worst Prompts

by Flufferdoodle



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Domestic Fluff, Drabble Collection, Dysfunctional Relationships, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Healthy Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Inspired By Tumblr, M/M, Namelessshipping, Oneshot, Prompt Fic, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tumblr Prompt, Unhealthy Relationships, depends on the prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:08:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25372876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flufferdoodle/pseuds/Flufferdoodle
Summary: Red and Blue written to the worst available promptsMost drabbles are rated T; the fourth is M for heavily implied sexual content
Relationships: Ookido Green | Blue Oak/Red
Comments: 32
Kudos: 83





	1. There Were So Many Beds

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by this: https://onthedriftinthetardis.tumblr.com/post/617029535845744640/worst-fanfic-prompts

The thing about Red living on top of a mountain for half a decade was that it meant he could sleep on literally anything. Blue had been actually concerned when Red first came down that his bed wouldn’t be to his liking – maybe it was too soft, compared to the hard floor of Red’s mountain cave, or maybe it’d be too warm, or maybe it was actually too hard because Red probably slept on Snorlax, come to think of it, or maybe it was just too much a bed and not enough a rock floor. Blue didn’t know. Either way, he worried about it, and then it turned out he was worried about nothing, because Red could fall asleep on a plane to Alola just as fast as he could pass out on a pile of hay.

Once they started sleeping together, it turned out Blue should’ve been worried about _himself._ He had a queen sized bed, plenty big enough for him and Eevee, _normally_ big enough to share with another person, but Red never really fit into normal situations.

Blue loved Red. He really, _really_ did. He enjoyed cuddling and snuggling and spooning and being close in just about every possible way under the covers. He did not, however, enjoy waking up with Red’s knee shoved into his back or with Red’s head cutting off any and all circulation in his arms. He didn’t understand how Red pulled it off. It didn’t matter how they slept; they could go to bed back-to-back and Blue would somehow still wake up with Red’s chest crushing his face.

Red, of course, was unbothered.

Red was unbothered by most things.

So Red was being extremely unhelpful at the mattress store as Blue tried to find a comfortable king-sized bed. As Blue talked with the salespeople and learned the differences between and smart gel, Red wandered through the store, Pikachu and Eevee at his heels.

It was already late evening, after dinner, and Blue’s patience was already worn thin as he broke from the employees to search for Red. The store would close in just five minutes now, and he needed to do more research.

A decent flock of people headed out while Blue explored further in, wondering if he should text Red and ask where he went or if his boyfriend left his phone at home again. As he rounded the corner to a back hallway containing doors leading to bathrooms and storage, an announcement on the intercom interrupted his thoughts.

_“Mattress Champion is now closing. Thank you for shopping with us._ ”

Crap.

The lights switched off moments later, just a handful of safety lights keeping Blue from wandering about in total darkness. Did Red leave without him?

“ _CHUUUU!”_

No, no he did not. Blue turned and darted back around the corner towards the sound of Pikachu’s cry. A bright electric discharge shone from the corner near the emergency exit, guiding Blue to his Pokémon and boyfriend.

Red smiled at him as he approached, and Blue was torn between punching him and hugging him.

“Can Pikachu zap the front doors open? I’d rather not cause property damage tonight,” Blue said tiredly.

Red shrugged.

Blue sighed. “Red, the store’s closed. We need to get home.”

“Why?” Red’s head tilted, ever so slightly, the way it always did when he was up to something. Eevee started purring, the traitor.

“What do you mean, ‘why?’ I want to get to bed,” Blue said.

“We have beds here.”

“…Red, I’m not going to sleep in a bed in a mattress store with you.”

“But…” Red did that _thing_ with his lip, his eyes widening ever so slightly, and this was a grown man standing before Blue with five o’clock shadow and a lifetime of horrors, but he looked so innocent and pathetic and Blue was too tired to resist. “How are we going to know what bed we want if we don’t try it?”

Blue looked around. “There’s security cameras.”

Red’s hand twitched and Pikachu zapped the closest one.

Blue blinked.

“You’re willing to cut cameras, which I’m pretty sure is illegal, but not open the door so we can go home and go to _our_ bed.”

Red didn’t say anything, instead opting to wrap his arms around Blue and pull him onto the nearest bed. Pikachu and Eevee ran off to Arceus-knew-where, and Red shifted so he was fully on top of Blue, pinning Blue’s wrists down against the firm mattress.

Red’s breath ghosted over Blue’s lips, hot and heavy, and Blue’s eyes fluttered shut as he waited for the inevitable kiss. Red, of course, took his time, nosing along Blue’s neck as he shifted back and forth, seemingly thinking. He abruptly stopped and pressed a quick kiss against Blue’s lips.

“This one’s too hard,” Red declared, and stood up, yanking Blue along with him. He swiftly strode down the aisle and unceremoniously shoved Blue down face first onto a pillow-top, clambering on after him.

Red’s hands drifted up and down Blue’s sides, his knees holding an already exhausted Blue down. Blue almost moaned before reminding himself of where he was and why he was _not_ going to encourage this. Dissatisfied, Red rolled them over a moment later, Blue’s back against Red’s chest.

“Too soft,” Red whispered into his ear. Blue shivered as Red squeezed him close.

Blue tripped as Red shoved him up to his feet once more, falling face first onto the bed across from them, and Red took a moment to squeeze his butt before leading him to the next bed, and the next, and the next, and the next.

“Why are we getting a new bed again?” Red asked. He was spooning Blue this time, arms shoved up Blue’s rumpled shirt, one hand squeezing Blue’s stomach while the other rested against his chest.

Blue yawned, appreciating the coolness of the pillow beneath him, a sharp contrast to the heat of Red’s warm body against his back.

“Because we need a larger bed,” Blue said.

“This one’s smaller,” Red pointed out. And it was. Blue had been too dead to protest Red’s most recent bed choices, quietly hoping he’d settle on something soon.

“Yes,” Blue whispered. Staying awake was growing impossibly difficult. Red smiled into his neck.

“Maybe we should get this one, then,” Red said, lips moving against sensitive skin.

“Too small.”

“You’re falling asleep.”

“I wonder why.”

Blue felt the gentle vibrations through his body as Red softly laughed, and he finally succumbed to his exhaustion.

Red, being Red, had Pikachu get them out of the store about an hour and a half before opening, half-carrying a still sleepy Blue outside.

And Red, being Red, bought the small bed they ended up on, and Blue resigned himself to a night life spent in Red’s personal space.


	2. Long Distance Relationship

Red looked down from the peak of Mt. Coronet, the world a vast, beautiful expanse underneath him. Down to the south, the spine of the mountain range pushed almost to the coasts, trailing off into jagged plateaus and sharp cliffs. To the north, it persisted only a short ways before giving way to the snowy passes and caverns leading to Snowpoint City. Jubilife and dense forests coated the southwest, Stark Mountain spreading in volcanic glory to the northeast.

He had almost expected Mt. Coronet to feel like Mt. Silver, cold and quiet, with a sense of nearly natural magic. But it didn’t. Coated in worn bricks and austere pillars, it felt ancient and other-worldly, and Red wondered about the legends he knew of the gods who lived here.

It was a place where Blue would fall silent, Red knew, and take his time exploring the pillars. He would kneel down and touch them, knowledge and wonder racing through his mind, exposing itself as the slight furrow between his brows and a hand running through his spiky hair.

Red tore himself away from the view and went to study the pillars. He took photos, for Blue’s sake, and wondered what his boyfriend was up to back home. He hadn’t seen him in months.

It hurt, sometimes, to be so far apart again, but Red couldn’t stay home just yet. Mt. Silver had been an awakening and Red wasn’t ready to go back to sleep.

Blue, opposite as always, couldn’t leave. He didn’t want to, Red knew, and the pain in his features when Red quietly announced his plans still haunted him. Blue offered to come – of course he did – to let go of the gym he worked so hard to rebuild, to abandon his sister and her newborn child, to put the reparations of his and his grandfather’s relationship on hold.

It hurt, sometimes, to think that if things had only played out differently, they could already be physically together regularly, comfortable in their own skins. But that was not life.

Red accepted jobs working with various leagues and battling in tournaments. It was at those tournaments that he and Blue saw the most of each other; heat and fire on the battlefield, warm and welcome in the hotels afterwards. The next tournament, up in the Battle Zone, wouldn’t be for three more weeks. Blue said he’d only be there the first four days of it, until he got beaten in the first official rounds and sent home, but Red knew better. They’d both at least make it to the semifinals.

Next week, Red would be part of a workshop on in-battle communication with all of Sinnoh’s gym leaders. It wasn’t a job he necessarily enjoyed – large groups of people still made him uneasy, and talking with more than just a couple known people present still proved to be a struggle – but it funded his travels. Gym leaders were generally good people, too, and it didn’t hurt to make friends.

Red scrolled through the photos he’d taken of his journey up the mountain, quietly smiling as he already knew the lecture Blue’d give him once he saw them.

 _“Climbing up to hide out on a mountain, again? Alone? Are you insane? Do you_ want _me to find your corpse at the bottom of a lake? It’s one thing when you’re in Kanto and everyone’s just right there, ready to run to your rescue, but did anyone in Sinnoh even know what you were doing? You could’ve told me beforehand!”_

He’d rant until he remembered some fun facts about the area, and he’d quickly shift tones from chastising to excited explanation. Blue would talk about the magnetic field, the Feebas nesting patterns in the lake, the discovery of ancient Pokémon fossils. He’d glance over the mythology of Dialga and Palkia, the discussion and acknowledgement of legendaries still a difficult topic at times. He’d talk until his voice went hoarse, and then he’d stop, as if surprised, and take note of the time.

And Red would tell him he loved him, as always, and Red could already picture Blue’s face, blushing crimson as he stammered for a moment before finally returning the sentiment.

Red wished he could touch him again. Feel the calluses across the palms of his hands, the sharp edge of his knuckles, the bony ridge of his spine. Feel the coarse hair on his arms and legs, just a shade lighter than his spiky, thick hair, and the stubble of his sideburns that his electric razor never quite got. Feel the lean muscle across his chest and the crevices beneath his stomach and above his hips.

Sure, Red missed some of his other friends he’d reconnected with since coming down the mountain. But he didn’t ache for tea with Mr. Fuji’s granddaughter in the Pokémon House or watching the ocean with Misty and Bill. Going for long walks with Lyra and Ethan were a far cry from the morning jogs through Viridian Forest, Blue somehow never shutting up even as they ran out of breath.

Red longed for the day that he could travel again, this time with Blue at his side. When they could attend the tournaments as a couple and not the top rivals of Kanto. He loved sleeping under the open night sky, Pikachu curled against his back, but it would just feel that much sweeter with Blue in his arms.

But this was necessary right now.

Blue hadn’t been prepared for Red’s arrival two years ago, and as much as their relationship had grown, it hit a point where they needed space. Red was going stir crazy enough to start a wedge between them once more, and it was easier to separate this way before moving forward as partners.

So Red would make the most of these lonely journeys and appreciate the time they had together. And when he had seen all he needed to see, and Blue had come to peace with all his problems back home, they would be able to spend dinner bickering in the kitchen and night wrapped so closely together that nothing could pry them apart.

And maybe, Red thought, fidgeting with the small velvet box in his pocket, he’d find the courage to ask for something more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like long distance relationship prompts actually have a lot of potential not gonna lie  
> someone better get on it


	3. Lovers to Enemies

Daisy sighed as Blue hung up the phone. Some part of her wanted to hop on the Magnet Train and zip over to Pallet Town, but she knew it would be futile. Blue needed to figure this out on his own and would shoot down any help she wanted to offer.

Red had come down from the mountain four years ago now, moved in with Blue three years ago, left again two, and returned one. Their grandfather passed away two months ago, and Daisy should’ve known that would’ve unearthed problems better left buried.

Daisy wanted to believe in them so much. They deserved each other, and they deserved to be happy together. They had completely, utterly ruined each other for anyone else; Daisy couldn’t imagine Blue with someone knew if she tried.

Maybe that was the problem, though. Everyone close to them just assumed they needed each other and refused to let them move on.

They hurt each other so badly throughout their journey. Daisy knew this, even if they didn’t fully get it. She couldn’t even remember how many nights she spent cradling her kid brother as he sobbed over the loss of his championship title. How many nights she spent sending her grandfather away from the house in an effort to prevent more arguments and leave something left of their relationship to be salvaged. How many nights she spent on the phone as Blue screamed and shouted, confused at the lost of everything they held dear.

Maybe it was too much to ask that things got better. Maybe they were just destined to destroy each other in every possible way.

Daisy wished, not for the first time, that Red would call her, too. She was the one who watched him when Red’s mom was out working. She picked him up from school and baked cookies every Friday and gave him his town map before he left. She was almost as much as his sister as she was Blue’s, and for a while, very much expected to be his sister-in-law.

She wasn’t mad at him. She couldn’t be. She knew his story just as well as she knew Blue’s.

The last time she saw him was at the funeral. He’d looked out of place, dressed in all black without Pikachu on his shoulder, oddly distanced from Blue. Blue had been a mess of emotions, torn between anger and relief and raw, unadulterated pain, and really, she should’ve just invited him over. Forced some space between them for a few months.

Red had been quiet and sullen, as if he was full of things he wanted to say but was too scared to. Really, Daisy didn’t blame him. His relationship with her grandfather was far simpler and more positive than Blue’s, and saying anything could’ve easily thrown Blue into a fit.

Well, he did say something, and Blue did throw a fit, apparently.

And now Red reclaimed his place as Champion of the League, which, of course, hurt Blue beyond words, and now Blue was climbing up Victory Road to reclaim what he never really lost.

Daisy sighed, pushing her palms against her eyes hard enough to see little purple spots. Her brother, now twenty two, should be able to handle his own relationship woes now, right?

Except neither he nor Red ever had a positive model of a relationship to follow, since her and Blue’s parents died, their grandfather was widowed decades ago, Red’s mom was single, and Pallet Town was still shockingly desolate.

No, she really shouldn’t be surprised that her brother and his almost-fiancé kept up this cycle of pain and recovery.

She definitely wasn’t surprised when Bill texted her a month later with a link to a tabloid article.

_Champions Red and Blue Caught Kissing in Cerulean Cave_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: microsoft word claims fiancé is the correct spelling, while ao3/the internet says fiance is correct
> 
> also okay maybe this is enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers but like whatever


	4. Too Hot for Sex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is the reason the story is now rated M and has implied sexual content

Blue enjoyed the beaches and the malasada and the sunglasses and floral print shirts. He adored the sunglasses and the coconut water and the shining blue water. He loved the Pokémon splashing in the waves and the big cameras and watching Red walk down the coastline, barefoot and shirtless.

Honeymooning in Alola was a wonderful idea. Incredible. Blue honestly wasn’t even that mad when Red vetoed Kalos ( _“I want to go somewhere new.” “We’ve only been four times!” “New.”_ ) and insisted they consider an island retreat. Of course, the entire reason Red cared was because he wanted to take up Kukui’s offer and head up the Battle Tree for a while, but Blue found little reason to complain seeing as they spent every evening and weekend out enjoying the tropical paradise.

Not to mention, they ended up with the most incredible room in the Hano Grand Resort, free for their work in the Battle Tree. Spectacular view. One of the penthouse suites, Blue could see the Alolan sunrise every morning, and they often headed up to the roof to watch the sunset, too.

No, Blue had to admit, this was better than a fifth journey to Kalos.

Red, of course, still expected him to speak French on command. ( _“I’m not a goddamn Growlithe, Red. I don’t just do tricks.” “Please?” And Red’s stupid eyes would widen ever so slightly, the corners of his mouth turning down into a pitiful frown. “Tu es un connard.”)_

The only problem Blue could find with anything was the heat and humidity. He’d started using some special shampoo that cost twice as much as it should to control how frizzy his hair got and tended to lean towards Kukui’s style of unbuttoned shirts to stop from sweating through the fabric. It was just an added bonus, really, the way Red looked at him as he lounged around, floral shirt halfway off.

But that didn’t solve the whole problem, and Blue very much appreciated walking into their air-conditioned room at the end of the day and fling himself onto the chilled blankets. Red would be soon to follow, and the floral shirt would come _all_ the way off, followed by the sandals, and the pants, and sweaty, sandy bodies would press together in cold, sweet relief.

Blue was looking forward to that as they rode on Lapras back to their hotel. The ocean spray felt nice against his bare calves, but the sun was unrelenting. He could already feel his ears start to burn, and he realized he’d forgotten to reapply sunscreen after they left the Battle Tree.

Red’s arms around him tightened as they approached the resort, shifting down towards Blue’s hips, and if it wasn’t for the harsh rays and unrelenting heat, Blue would’ve had half a mind to get things started now.

But it was so hot he honestly felt sick, and the added sensation of Red’s warm body against his back was doing more harm than good. ( _No wonder Red did so well up on Mt. Silver. He was basically a goddamn furnace.)_

The second they hit land, Blue jumped off Lapras and darted towards the hotel, Red fast on his heels. The automatic doors slid open, and Blue stepped inside, and…

And there was no relief.

It was just as hot indoors as outdoors.

Fucking.

Fuck.

Shit.

Goddammit.

Eevee let out a pathetic mew, clearly as disappointed as Blue was. Of course, he thought, the poor girl had so much fur; it’d take a bit for her body to adapt to this, especially since she was expecting the relief as much as he was.

“My apologies, sirs,” said the employee arming the front desk. “Our air conditioning unit was damaged by a, uh, overexcited Mudbray and their young trainer this afternoon. It should be repaired by the morning. Until then, we have delivered fans to each room.”

Blue stared at them, speechless, until Red nodded his understanding and dragged him by the wrist over to the elevator.

The elevator felt like an oven being attacked by a Charizard’s Flamethrower inside a Fire Spin found in the center of hell. As sweat rolled down from Blue’s hairline to his neck and back, Blue informed Red of this, and told him that he was certain he would die any moment of heat stroke.

Red rolled his eyes, because Red was a freak of nature who did not experience temperature. ( _“Red, how did you survive the cold up on Mt. Silver for so long? You didn’t even bring an actual coat with you.” “I wore a scarf, sometimes.” “When I made you! Like, did Charizard just have to cuddle you all the time?” “Not really.”_ ) Good to know he was just as immune to heat stroke as hypothermia.

Finally, they reached their floor, and Blue darted over to their door, praying to Arceus and all above that the fan would be running when they walked in. Someone, for once, heard his prayers, and the fan blew directly at him as he stepped inside.

It blew hot air, of course, and being the top floor just meant more heat was trapped, and _why_ didn’t he close the curtains before they left this morning? Why was he so stupid? The bed was hot, the air was hot, everything was hot.

Red stepped up behind him, sweaty and gross, wrapping his arms around Blue once more. It went fairly similarly every night. They’d come inside, Pikachu and Eevee would tear around the room before cuddling on the balcony and soaking up the sun, and they’d make out for a while before grabbing dinner and watching the sunset. Then, afterwards, they’d come back to their air-conditioned paradise and do what grown men on their honeymoon did.

Only problem was Blue was so hot he felt nauseas, and Red was so sweaty it was actually pretty disgusting, and if this fan wasn’t going to save him then only a cold shower would.

So Blue marched into the bathroom, Red still attached and somewhat confused, and turned the shower on. It was more than big enough for the two of them, so it wasn’t like Red could complain too much.

“It’s too goddamn hot,” Blue declared, yanking off his shoes and socks. “I am going to _die_.”

“…So you shower?”

“Cold shower.”

Red frowned, clearly torn between enjoying Blue’s frantic removal of clothes and displeasure at the implications. “But…”

“Cold. Shower.”

Blue stepped inside without further ado, sighing with pleasure as freezing droplets wicked off the sweat and sand and banished all thoughts of heat. Red joined him after a while, body still warm to the touch.

And touch they did, though it wouldn’t go anywhere. The sensation of basically being coated with ice shut off any chance at arousal, though Blue did appreciate the view of Red, soaking wet and slightly shivering before him.

He caged Blue in against the wall with his arms, his broad back preventing most of the water from hitting Blue. Blue reached up to feel his hair, now tangled and stuck, numbing Blue’s fingers with cold if he touched it too long. Red’s entire body felt hard and tense, a far cry from the relaxed warm it was on the way here.

They stayed like that for a while, touching the water temperature up to almost lukewarm, before scrubbing each other down with soap and stepping back out into the bathroom.

The second they did so, Blue wanted to retreat back to the shower. Pruny hands be damned, he could _not_ take another second of this heat.

Eevee had draped herself over the fan, Pikachu sitting on the table directly across from it, as they stepped into the bedroom. Already, Blue couldn’t tell where the shower water ended and his sweat began. Styling his hair would be futile; it would never dry enough in this humidity to hold shape.

Red, of course, remained unbothered, immediately clinging to Blue once more, oblivious to the misery surrounding him.

“We should go out to eat tonight,” Blue said after a moment. “Somewhere air-conditioned.”

Red huffed, grinding his hips against Blue through their towels. Red’s hand joined moments later, tracing along the exposed V of Blue’s hips, and Blue felt the weirdest mixture of arousal and nausea he’d experienced in his life.

“I’m hungry.” Well, he actually wasn’t, because the heat, but he tell far worse lies if that’s what it took to get him somewhere cold.

Red made an attempt to guide Blue to the bed, but Blue was having none of it.

“Red, I swear to Arceus. I love you. I love sex with you. But if I don’t get somewhere cold now, I will throw up. All over you. And make you clean it up, because it’ll be your fault. Come on, let’s go.”

He scrubbed himself as dry as he could manage with his towel, not bothering to acknowledge Red’s eyes raking up and down his body, and yanked on the thinnest pair of clothes he could find. Blue positioned himself directly in front of the (not very helpful) fan, pissing off Pikachu, as he waited for Red to follow suit.

Twenty minutes later found them gorging on ice cream in a tiny shop just a block away from the resort, Blue constantly raking his still-messy, slightly damp hair out of his eyes. They remained there long after they finished eating, torn between playing footsie and just straight up kicking each other under the table ( _old habits die hard, and this is one of the oldest they had_ ).

Eventually, the cheery-faced teen working there told them the place was closing in fifteen minutes, so Blue bought a pint of ice cream to cradle as they walked back. The sun had set, but the air still sat muggy and heavy over the pair, with the added discomfort of staleness the moment they stepped inside the hotel. The front desk clerk dipped their head in pity as Blue squeezed the melting butterscotch ice cream against his chest, relishing the small respite from the surrounding heat.

Once in their room, Blue started to beeline towards the shower when Red grabbed his wrist and stop him. With his free hand, he released Lapras, wordlessly calling her to fill the room with a delicate, cold mist. Melted ice cream pint falling to the floor, Red impatiently flung Blue onto the bed, recalling Lapras once more, and got busy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: i was once trapped in an elevator with 9 people for an hour on a school trip. elevators get very hot very fast. they are the worst.


	5. Funeral Home Meet-Cute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: death

“So, ah,” Blue said, looking around in confusion. He remembered his name, recognized his body, but beyond that…

He knew there should be something waiting for him, soon, and someone, but exactly what felt just out of reach. He knew, on some level, that he should feel something more. He was watching his body, stiff and cold, dressed in a tux he wore once, as it lay in a hard, wooden box. Wrinkles pulled at the corners of his eyes, his hands callused and veiny with age. Light summer freckles covered his skin, and a simple silver band adorned with a triangular ruby adorned his left ring finger.

Blue looked down at his current hands, almost transparent, and marveled at their smoothness. Callused and hard, but no wrinkles. No ring.

He hummed for a moment before looking at his companion. He should know his name, some part of him said, but right now he didn’t.

But he was extremely handsome and tall and strong and everything Blue could possibly ask for in a partner, so Blue was determined to find out.

“Ya come here often?” Blue finished.

His companion’s lips pursed, his own ethereal form studying the scene around them. He seemed at least as confused as Blue was, but they could probably figure it out. Blue felt confident in his companion’s ability to find a reasonable explanation.

Blue looked down at the body underneath his companion and thought that he should’ve felt something like butterflies in his stomach or a stuttering heart, but he didn’t have organs now. Probably. He wasn’t sure what he had, really.

But the body next to Blue’s was beautiful. Aged gracefully, for sure. While Blue’s seemed to mimic something else he felt he should’ve recognized, this other’s was entirely unique. Soft salt-and-pepper hair never fully grayed to the last of his days, that was for sure, and age had not robbed him of his strong form. His veins were just barely visible now underneath pale skin, an intricate, light web of blues along hands and arms. On his ring finger sat a similar ring; gold and blue as opposed to silver and red, and Blue could almost feel a realization through the fog.

“We lived a long life, didn’t we?” Blue said, uncertain with the familiarity of his words. He wished his companion would say something. He must have a beautiful voice, Blue knew it.

His companion hummed instead, drifting a bit closer to the bodies. A small crowd of people swarmed around them, and Blue could hear the sound of cameras and reporters outside. He wasn’t surprised to hear them there. Of course they’d care about his death, he thought, and the death of his companion. They had to have been important.

He hoped his companion wouldn’t mind, though. He seemed like the kind of person to not like cameras.

Blue drifted over in front of him, ducking down to see the face of his spirit form.

Is that what they were now? Spirits?

“Hey,” Blue said. “You feelin’ okay about all this?”

His companion looked up for a moment, and Blue would’ve gasped at his eyes. A brilliant brown, nearly red, sharp against his otherwise pale, transparent figure.

Oh, he was so beautiful. Blue couldn’t tell the color of anything other than hair, but he didn’t need to.

He shrugged defensively, and Blue reached out to him.

“Hey. Hey now, I don’t know what’s going on here, but whatever it is, we can figure it out, right?”

His companion frowned a bit. “I think we’re dead,” he said after a moment. His voice was like a balm. Warm and deep and soothing, a little bit rough. Blue could listen to it for hours, though he knew the opportunities to hear him speak freely would be few and far between.

Still, the statement struck Blue hard.

He supposed it made sense, though, looking down at the bodies. Those looked like corpses, really, and he did figure that he was now a spirit a moment ago.

“I think you’re right,” Blue said. “Huh. I guess we’re spirits now.”

His companion nodded, eyes dropping down to the scene of the living.

“You were always scared of ghosts,” he said after a moment.

“I was?” Blue asked.

“I think so. Memory’s foggy.”

“So we probably knew each other,” Blue said. “Actually, we were probably married. Look at the rings.”

His companion hummed. “That’s weird.”

“What’s weird about it?”

He shrugged.

Blue drifted closer.

“You know,” he said, “you’re still pretty hot for a ghost.”

“You don’t even remember my name,” his companion muttered, drifting downwards.

“Do you remember mine?”

Silence.

“So. Truce then,” he said. “Let’s start over. My name’s Blue.”

His companion looked back up at him, the echo of a smile on his lips. “ _Oh_.” Blue could practically see a lightbulb go off above his head.

“’Oh?’ What’s that supposed to mean?” Blue asked.

His companion smirked, ever so slightly, then started to float towards the doors. The back doors, of course, since all the reporters were right outside. They wouldn’t be able to see them, but it was the principle of the matter, Blue knew.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Blue demanded, chasing after him. Physical sensation felt lost to him as he frolicked through the air, through the walls, and after this beautiful form before him.

“I dunno, Blue,” he said. “Thought it’d be nice to know something you didn’t, for once.”

“Why, you smarmy little-”

And the ghost stopped and turned and Blue collided straight into him, shocked by the familiarity of the sensation. He shoved himself off, glowering.

“What’re you talking about?” Blue demanded, temper rising. His companion leaned in, eyes shining, and Blue felt the strangest mixture of frustrated and wanting that he knew he had felt a million times before.

Would it be _so hard_ for this guy to just say what was going on? What was Blue missing?

“Well,” his companion said, voice barely above a whisper, “I need you to admit something, first.”

“What?”

He smiled, leaning so their noses almost touched.

“Pikachu was way cuter than Eeevee ever was.”

Blue blinked, untouched memories reeling. “Okay, I don’t know _what the hell_ you’re talking about, but I _do_ know that that’s gotta be wrong. Completely.”

His companion turned away and began floating off, and Blue angrily chased after him. “Hey! Seriously! What the hell?”

His companion shrugged, drifting over to the start to a familiar path. They hovered there for a moment, before he led the way to a pair of fishing rods tucked by a tree.

“You have to say it,” his companion stated, mimicking sitting by the small pond.

“No.”

“Then I won’t tell you.”

“Why?”

“Gotta admit it.”

“No!”

“You don’t even remember them right now.”

“You remember things now?”

He nodded, casually leaning back.

“Tell me!” Blue was getting desperate.

“Admit it!”

“No!”

“Why?”

“I know you’re wrong!”

And he laughed, the most beautiful noise Blue had ever heard, and Blue found it hard to stay angry. But still.

“Do you want to remember or not? Is being right worth it?” Red asked, voice light and teasing.

Blue scowled. “Fine. I guess.”

“What’s your favorite color, Blue?” he asked, soft.

Blue paused, thinking back to his wedding ring. “Uh, ruby?”

“No.”

“What? I think I’d know my favorite color better than you do!”

He shook his head, and Blue kicked at the dirt, frustrated when nothing came up.

“Crimson,” Blue tried again.

“No.”

“Scarlet?”

“No.”

“Cardinal.”

“No.”

“Brick.”

“What are all those colors shades of?”

Blue, for the life of him, could not remember the word. It sat there, pressing up against the veil of his memories, and he felt so frustrated he could scream.

“R,” his companion said.

“R?”

“E.”

“Reed?” That wasn’t a color.

“Red,” he said, and the veil shattered.

Memories flooded through Blue, full and clear, and Blue took a moment to process it all. Everything. Fighting on the school grounds, trading cards in their makeshift fort. Choosing their first Pokémon and fighting their first battle. The gym circuit, the league, the championship. The mountain, that _godforsaken_ mountain, and the Alolan sun and the flashing lights of the world tournaments. Their wedding, simple and private, and the reporters pounding on their doors the next day. The ranch, inherited from his grandfather, and the young Pokémon and trainers seeking help and advice.

His own Pokémon. Pidgeot, Exeggutor, Alakazam, Arcanine. Aerodactyl, dead once more.

Raticate, who must be waiting up here somewhere, who must be frolicking through the same fields as Eevee, who must be curled up with Pikachu for their afternoon nap.

And then he froze, fighting the urge to punch Red in his self-satisfied smirking face.

“Pikachu _isn’t fucking cuter you fucking asshole!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay you know what it's not really in a funeral home and it's not really a meet-cute but like it sort of is? idk. idk. i did it. it's done. the prompts are done.


End file.
